Hook's Center Sports Blog

Gary Sheffield’s next home run will be his 500th in the major leagues.

The question is: What uniform will he be wearing when he hits it?

The Detroit Tigers released the nine-time All-Star on Tuesday, leaving him without a team as he closes in on becoming the 25th player to reach the milestone.

Sheffield left camp as the rest of his former teammates were reporting for an afternoon game against the Washington Nationals.

“I wouldn’t say I’m shocked, but I am surprised,” Sheffield told the Oakland Press of Pontiac. “To do this when somebody is one home run away … I don’t know how to react to it.”

“Jim (Leyland) said, ‘We’re going to go with versatility.’ When he said that word I thought to myself, ‘I’m probably the most athletic guy on this team.’ But they’re entitled to their opinion,” Sheffield said.

Marcus Thames, who will take Sheffield’s place in the lineup as designated hitter, also was surprised by the move.

“Somebody told me he was released, and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “(Miguel) Cabrera looked like he was in a state of shock.”

Leyland, the Tigers manager, said he had a hard time sleeping Monday night, knowing he was going to release a future Hall of Famer.

“I lit two Marlboros at the same time,” Leyland said. “I couldn’t sleep. But I feel better that it’s over with than I did at 3 in the morning.”

Leyland said it wasn’t a personality issue and still was struggling over the decision after Sheffield packed up his locker and left.

“It doesn’t mean it’s right, but I feel good. This thing has been eating at me. We need to be a more (versatile) team, and that’s why it happened.”

The slugger’s stay in Detroit was a disappointing one. The team was hopeful Sheffield would be a powerful presence at the plate in the final season of the $28 million, two-year contract extension it gave him after acquiring him from the Yankees for prospects.

But Sheffield failed to deliver in large part because he often was injured. Any team can sign him for the $400,000 minimum, with Detroit paying the rest of his $14 million salary.

The move came a day after the Tigers acquired outfielder Josh Anderson from Atlanta, forcing the team to make some tough decisions about its roster a week ahead of opening the season in Toronto.

The 40-year-old Sheffield had a .178 batting average in 18 spring training games this year. The designated hitter had eight hits — including five home runs — in 45 at-bats.

“It’s one of those things where you move on, you know?” Sheffield told the Detroit Free Press. “I was surprised. I thought I was getting ready for the season. I never thought that I wasn’t going to be playing with the Detroit Tigers this year. It’s probably a blessing.”

In other moves Tuesday, the Tigers placed starting pitcher Jeremy Bonderman on the 15-day disabled list and optioned the contract of outfielder Clete Thomas to Triple-A Toledo.

The team said Bonderman’s placement on the DL was retroactive to Monday as the right-hander continues to recover from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for most of last season.

Infielder Will Rhymes and outfielder Timo Perez were assigned to minor league camp.

The moves leave Detroit with 31 players remaining in camp.

Shoulder and assorted other injuries — and perhaps age — limited Sheffield to 114 games and a .225 average last year and 133 games and a .265 average two seasons ago with the Tigers.

Sheffield said he didn’t need surgery in the offseason for the first time in several years, making him feel better during spring training than he has been since 2001.

His uncle, Doc Gooden, and other family members had planned to attend Detroit’s season-opening series, hoping to watch him reach 500.

Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson are the only players in baseball history with as many home runs as Sheffield, plus at least 2,500 hits, 1,500 RBI and 200 stolen bases.

In All-Star games, he has represented San Diego, Florida, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta and the Yankees since making his debut two decades ago in Milwaukee.

The career .292 hitter has 1,633 RBI, putting him 27th on the all-time list.

Sheffield said he doesn’t believe his career is over.

“No,” he told the Detroit News. “It ain’t close.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves agreed Tuesday to a $42 million, three-year contract extension through 2012, a deal with an option that could become worth up to $61 million over four seasons.

The agreement virtually guarantees that the 36-year-old Jones will play his entire career in an Atlanta uniform.

A six-time All-Star, Jones was the NL’s Most Valuable Player in 1999. His .310 career batting average ranks second among switch-hitters, trailing only Frankie Frisch’s .316. He has 408 home runs, trailing only Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) in homers by a switch-hitter.

He is the only switch-hitter with at least 300 homer and a .300 career batting average.

Due $10 million this season in the option year of a contract that began in 2006, Jones gets a $3 million signing bonus as part of the new deal, payable in $1 million installments each Jan. 15 starting next year.

Jones receives annual salaries of $13 million from 2010-12 and can earn $1.5 million a year in performance bonuses: $750,000 each for 135 and 140 games.

His contract contains a $9 million option for 2013 that would become guaranteed if he plays in 123 games in 2012 or averages 127 games in 2011-12. The option price could increase by up to $4 million: $1 million each for 128, 133, 138 and 140 games in 2012 (or averages of 132, 137, 138 and 140 in 2011-12). In addition, he could earn $1.5 million in performance bonuses based on the earlier criteria.

If the vesting option fails to become guaranteed, the club would hold a $7 million option.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Quarterback Carson Palmer considers his throwing elbow fully healed as he begins offseason workouts with his Cincinnati Bengals teammates.

Palmer chose not to have reconstructive surgery for a partially torn ligament and tendon in his right elbow, which sidelined him for 12 games last season. Instead, he decided to see whether rest would heal the injury.

Before beginning voluntary workouts on Monday, Palmer said he is back to his usual throwing routine because the elbow is fine. The team plans to limit his throwing during preseason workouts as a precaution.

“I was timid at first,” Palmer said of his decision to rest the elbow instead of having so-called “Tommy John” surgery. “I was kind of going against a bunch of doctors and relying on one and what he said, and it turned out he was right.

“It’s 100 percent and I’m healthy and I’m happy. Had I gone the other way, I don’t know when I’d be able to throw again, but it wouldn’t be now.”

Palmer has been throwing three times a week near his home in southern California. Several of the Bengals’ young receivers have joined him for the sessions, including Jerome Simpson, a second-round draft pick last year.

“I saw that old Carson Palmer I used to look at when I was younger,” Simpson said. “He has that strong arm, and he’s just throwing the ball around and having fun. There was some zip on it. He overthrew me one time, and I hadn’t seen that for a long time. I was surprised, but it showed me he’s getting back to the old Carson now.”

Palmer’s younger brother, Jordan, is a backup Bengals quarterback and worked out with him at the sessions in California. Jordan Palmer was reminded of how his brother overcame injuries in the past, including a severe knee injury in the 2005 playoffs that required reconstructive surgery. Palmer left knee was hurt on his first pass in a playoff loss to Pittsburgh, but he didn’t miss any games in 2006.

“It’s in his nature,” Jordan Palmer said. “And that’s why he’s the man. He’s ready to roll, and I think he’ll be back and stronger than ever. I think he’s really excited about this year. It was important for him to come into it healthy, and that’s where he is now.”

Palmer’s next step is to get his timing back with a receiving corps that has undergone change. T.J. Houshmandzadeh left for Seattle as a free agent and was replaced by Laveranues Coles. Receiver Chad Ocho Cinco was the only Bengals receiver who missed the voluntary workout on Monday.

“I’m not worried about him,” Palmer said. “I’m worried about the guys we have here.”

After Palmer talked to reporters, he addressed his teammates. Linebacker Keith Rivers said the quarterback told them to seize their opportunities this season. The Bengals have had only one winning season since 1991, one of the longest streaks of futility in NFL history, and are coming off a 4-11-1 season.

Palmer is entering his seventh season with the Bengals, who made him the first overall pick in 2003 then sat him for a year to learn the league.

“There’s no more, ‘Well, hopefully next year. Next year we’re going to be better,”‘ Palmer said. “It’s going into year seven and I feel like I haven’t really played any football yet. I definitely haven’t played in any significant games.

“I can’t wait. I realize the more years you put in, the more you can’t look to next year at any point in the season. The time is now. You need to seize the moment and the year, and this is our year.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Michael Vick has agreed to pay the Atlanta Falcons $6.5 million as part of his bankruptcy case, clearing the way for the team to release him before training camp.

The settlement was reached ahead of Vick’s bankruptcy hearing in Virginia on Thursday. Vick arrived in Virginia Monday afternoon and is being held at Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk, Va.

According to a bankruptcy court filing, Vick and the Falcons have settled the Falcons’ claims that Vick owed them nearly $21.2 million for bonuses he received before his guilty plea to federal dogfighting charges.

Under the settlement, which still must be approved at Thursday’s bankruptcy hearing in Virginia, the team would receive $7.5 million if it wins the appeal or $6.5 million if the lower amount is upheld.

While Vick is still technically part of the team, the Falcons moved on a year ago when they drafted Matt Ryan with the No. 3 overall pick. He had a stellar debut season, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 record and an unexpected spot in the playoffs while earning the Associated Press offensive rookie of the year award.

The team had no comment on the settlement, though everyone in the organization looks forward to dealing with no more questions about Vick.

“I’m pretty much sure it’s behind us now,” running back Michael Turner said. “It’s over.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

A brutal stretch of schedule wasn’t doing much for the Atlanta Hawks before they delivered a lockdown defensive effort to defeat one of the top teams in the NBA.

The Hawks hope to replicate that performance against another team battling for playoff position in the Eastern Conference on Tuesday night, when they look to strengthen their hold on fourth place with a road game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Atlanta (43-31) lost at East-leading Cleveland last Saturday in the opener of a rough eight-game span that’s included home losses to San Antonio and Boston.

In addition to the game against the Sixers (37-35), the Hawks also visit the Celtics and host Southeast Division-leading Orlando before the rough stretch ends. Atlanta, however, has to be feeling better about its chances to win those games after defeating the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers 86-76 on Sunday.

The Hawks held the Lakers to a season-low point total while limiting Kobe Bryant to 17 points and 7-for-19 shooting, perhaps aided by Bryant’s upset stomach that forced the MVP candidate to miss the morning meal and film session.

“We had just lost two very important games,” said Hawks guard Joe Johnson, who scored 10 points and went 4-for-18 but led the defensive effort against Bryant. “We needed to get back on the winning side. This was probably one of our biggest games of the season.”

Hawks coach Mike Woodson was pleased with his team’s performance and expects similar ones in the final eight games of the regular season. Atlanta has clinched its second consecutive playoff appearance but is battling for home-court advantage in the first round.

“We met a little bit after our last game, and talked about these last nine games, where we have to come out and be the aggressor,” Woodson said. “Tonight, we were solid from beginning to end. And that’s how we have to play the rest of the way out, as we get closer to the playoffs.”

The Sixers could steal home court in the first round with a strong finish and a Hawks collapse, but they’d first have to pass fifth-place Miami. To do so, they’ll need to play better than they have in their last two games – a home loss to Charlotte on Friday and a 101-97 defeat at Detroit on Sunday.

Andre Iguodala had 27 points and Thaddeus Young added 22 against the Pistons, but the Sixers were outscored 22-14 in the fourth quarter.

“Every loss is tough down the stretch,” Iguodala said. “I think that we played hard and what happened, happened. We just try and go out and play hard and let the chips fall wherever they may.”

Philadelphia center Samuel Dalembert left in the first quarter with a leg injury and didn’t return. His status for Tuesday is uncertain.

The Sixers and Hawks split their first two meetings, both in Atlanta. Johnson had 35 points and went 14-for-23 from the field in the Hawks’ 95-88 win Nov. 1, then scored 25 in a 109-94 loss Jan. 11.

Iguodala had 27 points, six rebounds and nine assists while going 9-for-13 in the Jan. 11 game. He’s averaging 22.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 49.5 percent from the field in his last seven contests against Atlanta.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

UCF’s football program’s conditioning activities are rigorous “but within the range normal to other Division I football programs,” according to a review ordered after a player died and another collapsed last year.

The review released Friday was done by an attorney hired by the university and recommended better communication between team physicians and the athletics department administration, an extra athletic trainer for football and an increased exposure to a nutritionist for players among other things.

UCF President John Hitt ordered the review after the death of receiver Ereck Plancher last spring and the collapse of running back Brandon Davis in December.

Attorney Mike Glazier, a former NCAA investigator, conducted the inquiry. The review did not investigate Plancher’s death nor Davis’ collapse, only the current state of the football program.

“I will take the recommendations that Mike did make and speak with the administration and see how we can improve ourselves,” UCF coach George O’Leary said, reading from a prepared statement.

Plancher died after taking part in the team’s “mat drills” during an offseason conditioning workout last March on the UCF campus. The workout was supervised by O’Leary and his staff.

Hitt said he was pleased with the results of the review and again stood by the practices of the football program.

A report from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office showed Plancher had a sickle cell trait that caused problems with his red blood cells during physical exertion. The examination showed Plancher’s heart began beating abnormally, and blood flow to the wide receiver’s muscles and organs slowed or stopped.

Plancher’s parents filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking damages in excess of $15,000, not including interest, costs and attorney’s fees. The UCF Board of Trustees and the UCF Athletics Association are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

“We’ll answer their lawsuit,” Hitt said.

The report compared UCF’s football program to other schools, reviewed workout and training activities and had complete access to the university’s records, Glazier said. Coaches and football players were interviewed for the report, including Davis, but Glazier declined to disclose what the running back said.

Glazier said he recommended going from three to four athletic trainers dedicated solely to football, which he noted is the national average for a program UCF’s size. He also recommended more frequent meetings with local paramedics.

“Our overall findings of the university’s football practices and conditioning programs, sports medicine policies, procedures and practices are more than adequate and are within industry standards,” Glazier said.

O’Leary has a 26-36 record in five seasons at UCF, including a 4-8 record this past season. He signed a 10-year contract extension in May 2006 that pays him $1 million annually. He also has a buyout clause that would cost UCF $5 million to change coaches unless there was just cause.

UCF athletic director Keith Tribble again stood by the coach.

“This is just a report that confirms what we already knew,” Tribble said.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini signed a contract extension Monday following a 9-4 season, boosting his annual salary to $1.85 million.

The contract runs through February 2014 and makes him the sixth-highest paid coach in the Big 12. When Pelini was hired by the Cornhuskers in 2007, his five-year contract called for a salary of $1.1 million a year.

Athletic director Tom Osborne announced the extension, praising the progress the team has made under Pelini in such a short time. The Huskers tied for first in the Big 12 North and beat Clemson 26-21 in the Gator Bowl.

“We are confident he has our program moving in the right direction,” Osborne said.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was the leadoff defense witness Monday in the Helio Castroneves tax-evasion trial, testifying that a lawyer who is also charged in the case has a sterling reputation in the motorsports world.

Johnson, a three-time Sprint Cup winner, said Michigan lawyer Alan Miller has many clients in NASCAR and the Indy Racing League, a circuit where the Brazilian-born Castroneves is a top driver. Both Castroneves and Johnson have received financial guidance from Miller.

“Alan’s reputation is about honesty. His character is second to none,” Johnson testified in a 10-minute appearance. “He’s given me great advice.”

Miller, 71, is charged with conspiracy and tax evasion for allegedly helping Castroneves, 33, and the driver’s business manager-sister, 35-year-old Katiucia, avoid U.S. taxes on some $5.5 million from 1999 to 2004. All three face more than six years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors rested their case Monday after four weeks of testimony, much of it focused on Miller’s role in handling financial arrangements when Castroneves was hired by Penske Racing in late 1999. Prosecutors say the deal illegally avoided U.S. taxes on $5 million of the Penske money, which first was earmarked for a Panamanian shell corporation and then wound up in a Dutch deferred compensation account.

Johnson, 33, said Miller — a former professional football player and former NFL Players Association lawyer — has represented him for about 12 years and came widely recommended by racing industry leaders.

“I needed help to grow in my career. Alan was that guy for me,” said Johnson, who won his 41st career NASCAR race Sunday at Martinsville, Va.

The defense case for Castroneves, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and his co-defendants is expected to take about a week. Howard Srebnick, attorney for Katiucia Castroneves, told jurors that evidence will show what the Internal Revenue Service claims were improper tax deductions were actually payments to their father for his years in Brazil working to promote Helio Castroneves.

“There was an understanding, and a moral obligation on the part of Helio, to pay his father,” Srebnick said.

Castroneves also does not owe U.S. taxes on the $5 million sitting in the Dutch account because he has not yet received it, Srebnick said. Prosecutors claim the taxes were owed because Penske was ready and able to pay Castroneves, who cannot avoid tax just because he didn’t accept the money.

Either way, Srebnick said Castroneves relied on advice from experts like Miller and others for his financial dealings.

“If the best-known lawyer in the racing community gives you that advice, you follow that advice. That’s what Helio did,” Srebnick said.

Aside from his racing career, Castroneves is perhaps best known for his 2007 victory on TV’s Dancing With The Stars competition. The tax case does not involve his appearance on that show.

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been soundly outshone by Kyle Busch, the driver he replaced at Hendrick Motorsports, but he hopes to turn the corner soon.

To that end, Earnhardt and much of the brainpower at Hendrick Motorsports held a meeting recently to air their views and try to stumble on something that would bring improvement.

Earnhardt is 19th in points after five races.

“We talked about a lot of little stuff we could do differently or try,” Earnhardt said Friday at Martinsville. “We looked at some of the methods and some of the ways that they have had success in the past and we just talked about some ways we could communicate better.”

The ‘we’ included Hendrick competition directors Ken Howes and Doug Duchardt and engineer Brian Whitesell, some of the key players in Hendrick’s always successful organization.

“It was a good and constructive meeting,” Earnhardt said.

“Just trying to give those guys an opportunity to voice their opinions on the situation and take what they say and try to understand it and try to make out team better,” he said.

Busch, who is fourth in points, has said that he’s pleased to be doing better than the driver that replaced him with Hendrick last year, and Earnhardt said Busch has a right to boast. The younger Busch won 21 races in the top three series last year; Earnhardt won one.

“I wouldn’t trade positions with him, though,” Earnhardt said. “I like where I’m at and I like my owner and I like my position and I like my opportunity. But right now, he has every right to say what he wants and he’s been able to back it up on the track.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.

Allen Iverson has heard a lot of negative comments during his tempestuous career.

He wasn’t used to hearing them about his toughness, though.

Iverson returned Sunday after missing 16 games with a back injury and scored eight points in 21 minutes of the Detroit Pistons’ 101-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. After the game, he acknowledged being hurt by media reports that he might not play again this season.

“The one thing that everyone has always known about me is that I’m a warrior — the doctors would say I’d be out two-four weeks, and I’d come back in a week,” he said. “So now I have an injury I’ve never had before — one that was bothering me — and people are suddenly questioning my courage. That was hard, but I know positive stories don’t sell.

“If you can come up with a negative story about Allen Iverson, it will sell, so that’s what people rolled with.”

Iverson said it was also an adjustment to come off the bench, something he has only done a handful of times in his career.

“With all the things I’ve done in my career, I knew it was going to be tough for me mentally to do this,” he said. “But the more I looked at the big picture — the idea of helping my teammates win games — the more the idea appealed to me.”

Tayshaun Prince scored 21 points and Rodney Stuckey added 16 points as Detroit pulled within 1½ games of Philadelphia for sixth place in the conference.

“This was a big win for us to get, especially playing a tough team on a back-to-back,” Pistons coach Michael Curry said. “It didn’t help that they are one of the fastest teams out there — if you turn the ball over, they will be gone.”

Andre Iguodala had 27 points and Thaddeus Young added 22 for the 76ers, but Samuel Dalembert left in the first quarter with a leg injury and didn’t return.

“Losing Sam hurt our rebounding, because he’s the best rebounder on the team, and we missed the shot blocking,” Philadelphia coach Tony Dileo said. “We tried to be aggressive, but for whatever reason we just couldn’t get free throws.”

The lead changed 19 times in the first three quarters, but the 76ers began to take charge late in the third, using an 8-1 run to take a 83-79 lead.

Two quick baskets by Iguodala made it 89-83 with 9:55 left, but Detroit brought in Amir Johnson for defense and used a 10-0 run for the game’s 20th lead change.

“Amir was huge,” Curry said. “He was getting us rebounds above the rim, where there had been a lot of loose balls that they were picking up and putting back in.”

The Pistons built the margin to as many as six, but Philadelphia pulled to 99-97 on Iguodala’s layup with 35 seconds left.

Hamilton, though, hit a baseline jumper with 14 seconds left and the Pistons held on. The Sixers argued that Hamilton had stepped out of bounds, but replays were inconclusive.

“We played hard and whatever happened, happened,” Iguodala said. “We thought we had the game, and then things changed and they got back into it.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.